What bird has the most elaborate, the most beautiful
and the most complex song in the world? According to David Attenborough,
in this archive clip from the 1998 BBC documentary series The Life of Birds, the
superb lyrebird of southeastern Australia must be near the top of the list. To
persuade females to come close, the male lyrebird sings the most complex song
he can manage. And he does that by copying the sounds of all the other birds he
hears around him – including the sounds of chainsaws and camera shutters!

All week, BBC Travel is running
archive BBC
Earth clips to celebrate the long and illustrious career
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